Marvin A. Flood
Bio
Marvin A. Flood was born on May 12, 1930, in Clinton, Iowa, to immigrant parents from Sweden. He was one of seven children; however, four of his siblings died in early childhood. He graduated from Clinton High School in 1948. He and his close friends felt cheated that they missed out on World War II, so they were eager to enlist when the Korean War broke out. He chose to enlist in the United States Navy in December of 1950, but he was rejected due to a health issue. After correcting the issue, he enlisted again, but this time it was with the United States Air Force. He received his basic training in San Antonio, Texas, learned to repair airplanes, and then trained others in that field. He left for Korea in 1952 and remained there throughout the remainder of the war. Since Korea was without facilities for airplane repair, he spent most of his time in Japan at Tsuiki Air Field and would go back and forth between the two countries. He is still amazed at the success of South Korea today and how its economy has boomed despite the existing threat from North Korea.
Video Clips
Rejection and Redirection
Marvin A. Flood shares he experienced both rejection and redirection when trying to enlist for service. He recounts how he enlisted in the Navy but failed the physical due to a hernia. He recalls how he underwent surgery to repair the hernia, and while recovering, was visited by his buddies who had proceeded through boot camp. He shares he decided the Navy was not for him. He describes how he then enlisted in the Air Force and successfully served as an airplane mechanic.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncpTdXuBm_Q&start=242&end=480
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/marvin-a-flood#clip-1
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Serving in Korea While Stationed in Japan
Marvin A. Flood explains how he served in Korea while stationed in Japan. He describes how the military converted old Japanese hangers into bases for repairing air planes that were used during the Korean War because there were no such facilities in Korea. He discusses how he would go back and forth between Korea and Japan working on the F86.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncpTdXuBm_Q&start=593&end=851
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/marvin-a-flood#clip-2
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